From Atenas to Escazu

Saturday, March 30

All packed and ready to go, we made our last trip around Atenas, touching base at our favorite spots. We walked to Kay's for breakfast, with hugs and fond farewells to Kay, who said "I hope you come back next year." Later, we said a quick goodbye to Hisano, who stopped by quickly, on her way to San Jose with her family. Then, a last lunch at Antano - the restaurant around the corner where we ate most of our meals. And, finally a goodbye and thank you to our landlord, the dental surgeon, Dr. Rodrigo Urena Bogantes.

Then, our taxi arrived, loaded up our four-plus bags, and off we went - riding down winding Route 3 off the mountain and into the Central Valley. Today the toll road into San Jose was closed to outbound, or eastbound, traffic, and we drove toward San Jose in a lane normally reserved for traffic going in the other direction - an eerie feeling. The road is set up this way for today and tomorrow to accommodate all the return traffic of vacationers coming home from the Pacific beaches. The ride to Escazu took about 45 minutes.

Entering Escazu and driving down a main street, we are struck by how many American business establishments we see - Walmart, Outback Steak House, Westin, Tony Roma's, T.G.I.Friday, MacDonald's, and more. This does not gladden my heart. These places are fine (I suppose) back home, but we came to Costa Rica to experience Costa Rica. Fortunately, we got what we wanted in our lodgings.

We Have Arrived!

Finally, we are here in Escazu. The taxi driver found our lodgings easily. We are staying at Casa de las Tias, a charming B&B at the end of a lane leading from a busy main street. This brightly painted and beautifully landscaped house is, according to owner Xavier Vela, a Cape Cod Cottage style home with Victorian touches. It is also very influenced by Costa Rican culture and by the homelands of our hosts - Colombia and New Mexico. The interior decor is as charming as the exterior.

Casa de las Tias, Escazu, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

Bob at the entrance of Casa de las Tias, Escazu, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

The Casa is surrounded with lovely gardens, which we have only begun to explore. (Photo by Connie)

Casa de las Tias (House of the Aunts) has only five guest rooms. We are staying in the one called the Jr. Suite. It is very spacious, with a king-sized bed, couch, table & two chairs, a mini-bar with sink and microwave, and its own (small) bathroom.

Jr. Suite, Casa de las Tia's, Escazu, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

Each room here is decorated in a different theme. Our room is done in a Guatamalan motif. The main theme piece is a wall hanging of a Guatemalan wedding blouse, exquisitely embroidered. The entire house has a rustic and charming hacienda-type feel to it.

Guatamalan wedding blouse (huipil), Casa de las Tias, Escazu, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

We arrived mid-afternoon, while the owner-hosts, Xavier and Pilar, were out. An employee showed us to our room. We had a short conversation with Xavier when he returned, and we got some suggestions for a dinner restaurant. We ended up going to a Chinese restaurant at the end of the lane - Mil Sabores (Thousand Flavors). We had a challenge reading and understanding this very extensive Chinese food menu written in Spanish. Turns out, we ordered way more than we could eat, and the food was OK but not great. It was a relief, though, to eat a different style of cuisine than we have had this past month. Not all restaurants were open today, the last day of Semana Santos. Tomorrow is Easter. After that, we will have a great many restaurants to choose from.

Tonight only two of the five rooms are taken, the other by a young German couple who are catching a plane home tomorrow afternoon. It is quiet here, even though we are only one and a half blocks from a main road. It is a relief after the constant traffic and street noise of Atenas. We hope it stays that way. We are hitting the sack early, hoping to catch up on our sleep. The main sound we hear right now is the songs of either tree frogs or cicadas - a very peaceful and soothing white noise.

 

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